The Rev. Hatcher’s column in The Citizen (Nov. 30) called for Christians to not boycott stores that have banned the words “Merry Christmas.” He suggests that “a store manager may direct an employee not to say the words,” but that does not stop us from doing so.

I feel his view is a bit simplistic. It is unlikely, especially here in the “Bible belt,” that a local store manager would take it upon himself to stop employees from wishing customers a Merry Christmas. In fact, locally owned “hometown” retailers are overwhelmingly more likely to make Christmas a prominent feature of their advertising, store displays, and shopping experience.

The problem is almost always found in large national chain stores where political correctness edicts are sent from faceless people in concrete-and-steel towers far removed from the local store.

Profit and loss statements and stockholder reports consume their working hours, and there is a major disconnect between such people and “Joe and Jane Consumer” who walk through the front door of “Retail Unit #43952 in Podunk, Ga.”

The corporate honchos don’t care that customers cheerfully wish a sales clerk “Merry Christmas” (for that matter, they really don’t care whether the customers worship Jesus or Satan) as long as they continue to walk into their stores and buy stuff.

Saying “Merry Christmas” to an employee 2,500 miles away has zero impact on corporate decision-makers; red ink on the bottom line from unsold merchandise will make an impact. What kind of impact?

Bishop Emeritus Rene Henry Gracida of Corpus Christi, Texas, called for a boycott of PepsiCo products (including Frito-Lay) because of an advertising campaign that featured Madonna doing sacrilegious things on an altar in her “Like a Prayer” video. As soon as the boycott was announced, PepsiCo crumbled. They immediately pulled the advertising campaign, and the corporate office called the bishop to request that he call off the boycott.

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights received a complaint that Wal-Mart had replaced “Merry Christmas” with “Happy Holidays” throughout their media advertising, store displays, and shopping experience.

Also, the Wal-Mart Web site showed Jewish and Kwanzaa items when searched for those terms, but when a search for “Christmas” was entered, a “holiday gifts” page appeared.

The Catholic League asked Wal-Mart for a clarification of their new policies and received a strongly anti-Christian reply (including lower-casing “christmas” in every instance).

A month ago, on Nov. 10, the Catholic League called for a boycott of Wal-Mart. Within 24 hours, Wal-Mart had back-pedaled, fired the person who sent the anti-Christian reply, changed their Web site, and apologized for their “inappropriate and inflammatory comments.”

Last year Federated Department Stores (Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s) were boycotted for their anti-Christmas policies. Target was also the target of a boycott last year when they banned “Merry Christmas” and drove Salvation Army bell-ringers from the front of their stores.

This year one of those chains is singing a different tune. Macy’s has written the organizer of their boycott to explain that their “2005 Christmas campaign” includes allowing sales associates to offer “Merry Christmas or Feliz Navidad or Happy Hanukkah,” etc., at will, the prominent display of the word “Christmas” in their TV, print, and in-store advertising, and a “Christmas Time in the City” theme in their flagship store in New York City.

Target, on the other hand, is still not allowing their employees to wish customers a Merry Christmas and still do not allow bell-ringers to darken their doors.

Instead, Target has “partnered” with the Salvation Army in a rather weak attempt at reconciliation.

But Target is not actually donating to the Salvation Army; they’re allowing customers to purchase merchandise at Target that they will send to the Salvation Army. (Better idea: Buy the items somewhere else and give them to the Salvation Army yourself.)

Macy’s has repented of its anti-Christmas stance and is now seeing Christian shoppers returning to their stores. But due to Target’s ongoing ban of “the C-word” and bell-ringers at their stores, and also because of their transparently self-serving “partnership” with the Salvation Army, many Christians continue to boycott Target.

Christmas cheer has been spread in retail stores in hundreds of past Christmas seasons, so if simply spreading Christmas cheer did the trick, as the Rev. Hatcher suggests, no retailer would ever consider substituting “Happy Holidays” for “Merry Christmas.”

No, it takes something else to change the behavior of large national and multinational corporations. PepsiCo, Wal-Mart, and Macy’s are testaments to the fact that a large-scale boycott, or even the threat of large-scale boycott, can change their behavior.

One of the great things about America is the ability of “Joe and Jane Consumer” to peacefully register their likes and dislikes in the marketplace.

While followers of a different god register their displeasure by strapping on explosives and killing innocent bystanders, followers of Christ can have a far greater effect by simply choosing where to open their wallets and, more importantly, where not to.

As for me, I plan to not open my wallet in stores that intentionally exclude “Christmas” from their stores (and this does not apply only to December purchases). Instead, I will purchase from retailers who love Christmas and are not afraid to say so.

More often than not, you will find me in our fine hometown, privately owned stores, purchasing items that are not made in France or Germany.

Randy Drake
Peachtree City, Ga.

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